Asomugha: Philadelphia experience 'not even close' to what he hoped

Zach Berman, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted:
Thursday, October 17, 2013, 10:19 AM

Nnamdi Asomugha said his experience with the Eagles is "not even close" to what he anticipated when he signed a lucrative contract before the 2011 season.

"I didn't know anybody, but everybody was on the same page that we were going to get it done first year out of there," Asomugha said. "Then we saw that we had to jell. Then we started to jell at the beginning of the season, things were on a roll, and we started losing, and that momentum went the other way around for us. I'm mentally strong because I haven't had the success in the league I've wanted since I was a rookie, so mentally, I've been able to deal with that and know, or believe, that it's going to turn around."

Asomugha said he's "fine" mentally and maintains belief that it will turn around. But Asomugha has been a source of frustration for fans who expected an elite cornerback when he signed. That hasn't always been the case in Asomugha's 1 1/2 seasons with the Eagles. He said fans are "just" in expecting from much him and being disappointed in the result, and that he holds himself to a higher standard than anyone else.

"If a fan has an issue with [how things have gone], they're not going to get me saying that's wrong," Asomugha said. "As a fan, I can look back to teams that I've liked, and when a player I've liked comes in, and expecting things to just change, and getting upset about that. So I can't be that guy and look at them and say, 'you can't be upset that we haven't won even though I haven't Superman on the field,' even though that's what's expected of me."

Asomugha said Philadelphia is where he wants to be, and that he does not regret coming to the Eagles. He said he does not wonder whether he'll be let go if there are changes in the organization, even though he's an aging player with an expensive contract. He emphasized his faith in things working out for him, although he hopes it happens in Philadelphia.

"I want to be around for this turnaround that I know is going to happen," Asomugha said. "My mind isn't there for, 'are you going to see it through?', what's going happen. It's just not there. But I definitely want to be here for it turning around, because I know it will."

We encourage respectful comments but reserve the right to delete anything that doesn't contribute to an engaging dialogue.

Help us moderate this thread by flagging comments that violate our guidelines.

Comment policy:

Philly.com comments are intended to be civil, friendly conversations. Please treat other participants with respect and in a way that you would want to be treated. You are responsible for what you say. And please, stay on topic. If you see an objectionable post, please report it to us using the "Report Abuse" option.

Please note that comments are monitored by Philly.com staff. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable. Personal attacks, especially on other participants, are not permitted. We reserve the right to permanently block any user who violates these terms and conditions.

Additionally comments that are long, have multiple paragraph breaks, include code, or include hyperlinks may not be posted.